When it comes to Tuesday’s shocking news that David Blackburn had resigned from his position as the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga athletics director, a lot of folks want there to be a smoking gun. Malfeasance perhaps. Maybe a DUI. Insubordination. Even an undisclosed illness, though hopefully one that’s curable rather than terminal. Something. Anything.
But what if it’s a lot less dramatic than that?
What if Blackburn, his heart still broken by not getting his dream job as the University of Tennessee AD – the post that went to John Currie, once a UT athletic department contemporary of Blackburn – just doesn’t have the will or energy to continue as the boss of the Mocs?
Call it depression. Call it stagnation. Call it sad and tragic and regrettable for all concerned. Even call it crazy and without merit.
But at least consider it for a moment or two as a possible alternative explanation to a darker, more sinister scenario.